Monthly Archives: June 2008

Exhibit at Zambezi Bazaar in conjunction with the Leimert Park Book Fair.

Amiri Baraka is one of the most prolific African American writers of the 20th century. He is an acclaimed poet and the Obie-winning playwright of Dutchman. His long list of writing credits includes: Blues People; Home; Social Essays; Black Fire; Selected Poetry of Amiri Baraka / LeRoi Jones and Selected Plays and Prose of Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones. He continues to be active in the struggle against racism and capitalism, to organize artists, and tp participate in the struggle for Black Liberation. He is currently teaching classes on Pan-African literature at Stony Brook College at the State University of New York and at Columbia University.

One can reasonably assume the dude quoted was a “Brother” and that he was talking about white people.

The NY Times LIVES for these eggregiously asinine statements. The fact that Black people too are reluctant to come to Harlem for the same reason is unimportant to the Times.

It is already a cliché that local news programs will get the most ignorant sounding or looking Black people to quote on the scene of some news story.

Consider the imagery:Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times, June 13, 2008

Decent white folks casually dine outside sipping iced coffee and latte’s while a Brother strolls with a “40” in hand.

SIDEBARThis cafe if around the corner from my house. I was in there to buy some French bread for dinner that night. A white guy, just recieved his small, regular cup, of coffee to go. The Cashier told him there was a price increase at the same time he handed him is coffee. The coffee was $2.75 (or thereabouts).

The White guy complained; (1) that he was not told up front and (2) that the price was outrageous — even more than starbucks a few blocks away. He said the Cafe was making a mistake and that he would never buy coffee from there again.

I’ve stopped buying coffee, to go, there myself during the last price increase. Fortunately, there are increasingly more options in Harlem so I don’t have to pay 3 Bucks for a cup of java.